Judges 6:1-16
"The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and for seven years he gave them into the hands of the Midianites. Because the power of Midian was so oppressive, the Israelites prepared shelters for themselves in mountain clefts, caves and strongholds. Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples invaded the country. They camped on the land and ruined the crops all the way to Gaza and did not spare a living thing for Israel, neither sheep nor cattle nor donkeys. They came up with their livestock and their tents like swarms of locusts. It was impossible to count them or their camels; they invaded the land to ravage it. Midian so impoverished the Israelites that they cried out to the Lord for help." 6:1-6
The Israelites had hit an all time low, a rock bottom. What sorrow they could have avoided if they would have continued to trust God with their future. Yet, here they are being oppressed by the desert Midianites, hiding away in caves on the side of the mountain, with very little food, crops, and protection from the elements of nature. Then, finally...."they cried out to the Lord for help." Turning to God should never be a last resort. Even when life is hard, when we face struggles, when we are tired and weary, God gives us the strength to continue moving forward. We shouldn't wait until we are at the very end of our rope to then...finally, call on the Lord for help. He wants to help you, daily.
"When the Israelites cried out to the Lord because of Midian, he sent them a prophet, who said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I brought you up out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. I rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians. And I delivered you from the hand of all your oppressors; I drove them out before you and gave you their land. I said to you, ‘I am the Lord your God; do not worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you live.’ But you have not listened to me.” 6:7-10
When they did cry out to the Lord, a prophet showed up and gave them a reminder of what has been done, and a hope of what was to come. The Lord said - Remember what all I did for you! Remember when I freed you! Remember when I saved you! Remember when I blessed you! And after all that....you still turn away from me. How it grieves the Father's heart when we disobey him, when he lavishes his love on us and we just turn away from him. If we have been set free, saved, and blessed, but continue to walk away from the Lord, what great sorrow we bring to the heart of God.
"The angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.” The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?” “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” The Lord answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.” 6:11-16
Gideon is just a young, simple farmer. Hiding out of site from the enemy, in a winepress, threshing the little bit of wheat left for he and his family. Suddenly, an angel of God is standing before him and says:
"hey - you, mighty warrior, God is with you"
Just think about that for a minute. As you are just doing your everyday normal thing, and all of a sudden, that happens.
But Gideon's response to this angelic visitation and strong word is what gets me. He says, to this massive, incredible, angel:
"oh, yeah, if God is with me, then why is all this bad stuff happening? I don't even think God is really here at all."
That's what he said to an angel of God! Gideon blamed God for all the problems, but the problems were a result of the greed, sin, and disobedience of the people themselves.
Then the face of God looks Gideon directly in the eyes and says:
"Go in the strength that is yours. Save Israel from Midian. I just told you, and I will do what I promise."
And again, Gideon doubts. After seeing the eyes of God in his own eyes, he still doubts. That is just crazy.
God promised to give him everything he needed, to do what needed to do, even through the excuses, self-doubt, and uncertainity. We are all called to serve God is specific ways, and God promises to give us the tools we need for that service. But, we tend to make excuses for why we can't do things. God put our gifts inside us, gave us the character and tenacity for them, and gives us the opportunity to use them when he is ready for that. He wouldn't do all of that, just for us to waste it.
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